Simon Le Bon now has the royal seal of approval.
The Duran Duran frontman has been named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by King Charles, a salute to his services to music and charity.
“What an incredible and totally unexpected honour,” the English singer comments.
“It is fitting that the honour has been awarded not just for my role in music, but also for the work I’ve been fortunate to be involved with outside the band for some of the causes I believe in. To name but two of them, I hope this moment helps to raise awareness for the Blue Marine Foundation and the importance of their conservation work, and for Centrepoint.”
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He later admitted to experiencing imposter syndrome, despite fronting arguably the world’s most popular band in the first half of the ‘80s. “Blimey this is a SURPRISE! I have to begin by saying that right now, I am experiencing the most severe case of IMPOSTER-SYNDROME,” he explains.
He adds, “I think it’ll help if I feel that I can share the honour with you all. It’s true to say that without you Duran Duran supporters, there would be no service to music; there’d be no service to charity; there’d be no MBE. So please, I want you to to feel the honour. Thank you.” He signs off, “WHOOOSH!” a nod to his podcast on SiriusXM.
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As a member of Duran Duran, Le Bon has collected every conceivable award, including the Brit Awards’ Lifetime Achievement, two Ivor Novellos, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, two Grammy Awards, and, in 2022, long-overdue induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Outside of music, Le Bon, a keen sailor, is an ambassador for Air Ambulance Services, the Blue Marine Foundation and Tall Ships Youth Trust.
History is repeating for Duran Duran which, more than 40 years after forming in Birmingham, England, is dishing up another round of Duranmania.
Ahead of induction into the Rock Hall at a ceremony in Los Angeles, DD headlined London’s Hyde Park, performed at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, closed the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on their home soil, and saw their 15th studio album, Future Past, debut at No. 3 in the U.K., their best chart performance since 2004. Last year, the band released the Halloween-themed collection Danse Macabre, which opened and peaked at No. 4 in the U.K.
Duran Duran’s international fame rose to near-hysteric heights in the early ‘80s thanks to the lads’ iconic style and a conveyor belt of hits and eye-catching music videos, from “Planet Earth” to “Girls On Film,” “Rio,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “The Reflex,” “Wild Boys,” “A View to a Kill,” and more, then, a new burst of popularity in the ‘90s with “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone.”
The late Diana, Princess of Wales, first wife of Charles III, was an avowed Duranie.
Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor have just wrapped-up a major U.S. headline tour, and they’ll embark on a route through Europe from next month — including a first-ever show at Montreux Jazz Festival.
